Article supporting spring clip



June 4, 1957 H. M. PRICE, SR

ARTICLE SUPPORTING SPRING CLIP Filed Aug. 31, 1953 /5 6 /& M Z/ INVENTORHMPr i A ORNEY United States PatentQ 2,794,225 ARTICLE SUPPORTING SPRINGCLIP Harry M. Price, Sr., Leavenworth, Kans. Application August 31,1953, Serial No. 377,393

2 Claims. (Cl. 24-84) This invention relates to a spring clip ofextremely simple construction and which is primarily adapted for use insupporting indicia bearing cards.

More particularly, it is an aim of the present invention to provide aspring clip for mounting cards, tags or labels on various articles orparts and which accordingly readily adapts itself for the mounting ofprice and display tags on merchandise and identification cards, tags orlabels on various mechanical and electrical parts to facilitate assemblyand repair.

Another object of the invention is to provide a spring clip capable ofbeing readily attached to or detached from an article and to which anidentifying tag, may be readily applied or removed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a spring clip which may bevery economically manufactured from a single strand of wire entirely bya machine operation and which will be extremely durable and eflicient inaccomplishing its intended result.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter becomemore fully apparent from the following description of the drawing,illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view showing the spring clip in anoperative position;

Figure 2 is a view taken at a right angle to Figure 1 and looking fromright to left thereof, the tag being shown in section, and

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along a planeas indicated by the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the spring clip in itsentirety and comprising the invention is designated generally 5 and isformed from a single strand or length of resilient or spring wire. Saidstrand or length of spring wire is wound near to but spaced from one endthereof to form a spring or torsional coil 6. The longer end of the wirestrand extends outwardly from one end of the coil 6 to provide ananchored leg 7 of an elongated loop 8 having a turned back bend 9 at theopposite outer free end of said loop 8 and a second leg 10 extendingback from the bend 9 past the opposite end of the coil 6. Said returnleg 10 preferably has an inwardly bowed portion 11 located close to saidlast mentioned end of the coil 6 and is flared outwardly therebeyond andbent to provide a rounded tag, card or label supporting loop 12 whichprojects from the coil 6 in the opposite direction to said loop 8. Theother unattached end 13 of the loop 12, constituting one terminal of thespring wire, terminates adjacent the first mentioned end of the coil 6from which the leg '7 projects, as best seen in Figure 2.

The loop 8 constitutes one spring biased jaw of the clip 5. The outerportions of the legs 7 and 10 thereof, extending inwardly from the bend9, are disposed substantially coplanar and have undulating formations toprovide a recess 14 in said jaw 8 formed by substantially V- shapedportions of the legs 7 and 10 which are spaced from the outer end 9 ofthe jaw 8. The portions of the biased in the opposite direction 16 tothe rounded leg portions card or label portion 15 which is disposed atan legs 7 and 10 disposed between the bend 9 and the adjacent end of therecess 14 provide an outwardly flared angle to the longitudinal axis ofsaid jaw 8.

The other end of the strand forming the spring clip 5 constitutes asubstantially straight spike-like extension 16 of the opposite end ofthe coil 6 and which extends outwardly through the jaw 8 between itslegs 7 and 10 and to beyond the bend 9. Said end portion the otherspring biased jaw of the clip 5 and preferably terminates in a tapereddistal end 17. The jaw 16 is to the jaw 8 by the torsional coil 6, sothat said jaw 16 is biased toward the closed side of the recess portionment toward saidclosed side being limited by the engagement of the jaw16 against mal position of the jaw 16, as illustrated in dotted lines ofFigure 1, the leg portions 15 are flared so as to extend across thespike-like jaw 16 and so that the bend or outer end of the jaw 8 islocated on the opposite side of the jaw 18 formed by the merging of theinnerends of the leg portions 15 with the outer ends of the recessedportion 14.' Said rounded portion 18 of the jaw 8 constitutes a reversebend to theclosed intermediate part of the recessed portion 14.

An'endor side edge of a tag, card or label 19 containing any suitableindicia, not shown, may be inserted between the loop end 13 and theadjacent end of the coil 6 for passing said loop end 13 through anopening 20 in the member 19 or for punching an opening 20 therein withthe loop end 13. The tag or card may then be moved downwardly on theloop 12 from its end 13 to assume its position of Figures 1 and 2,suspended from the clip 5, and it will be readily obvious that the tagor card will not he accidentally disengaged from the clip 5 due to theclose proximity of the loop end 13 to the coil 6. If necessary, the end13 can be sprung away from the coil 6 for attaching the card or tag 19to the loop 12 or for disengaging it therefrom.

With jaw 16 disposed in its dotted line position of Figure 1, the outerportion of said jaw 16 may be positioned against an element 21 to whichthe clip 5 is to be attached and so that the element 21 will be to theright of the jaw 16 and in contact therewith and with the bend 9. Bythen manually moving the clip 5 upwardly, or to the right and thenupwardly, the jaw 16 will be sprung from right to left away from the ofthe recess portion 14 an outer portion ,of

bend 9-from its dotted line position of Figure l to and beyond its fullline position sufficiently so that the bend 18 is located to the rightof the adjacent portion of the jaw 16. It will be obvious that if theclip 5 is moved upwardly as the jaw 16 is thus swung to the left, thatthe member 21 may pass between the jaw 16 and the bend 18 into therecessed portion 14. By then releasing the clip 5, the jaw 16 will bespring biased from the left to right of Figure l to clamp the member 21in the recessed portion 14. The member 21 will hold the jaw 16 undertension in its full line position of Figure 1 to effectively maintainthe clip 5 applied to the member 21. It will also be obvious that as thejaw 16 is displaced away from the bend 9 by the member 21, that the clip5 may be manually displaced upwardly or toward the member 21 so thatsaid member will engage between the jaw 16 and the jaw portions 15,which are flared outwardly relatively to the jaw 16, to act as a wedgefor displacing the outer portions of the jaws 8 and 16 away from oneanother to allow the member 21 to enter the recess portion 14.

Obviously, other types of elements or members 21 may be similarlyconnected to the clip 5 which may thus be utilized for attachingidentifying tags or cards to various mechanical or electrical parts orfor attaching display or Patented June 4, 1957 16 constitutes 14 of thejaw 8, its move-' the bend 9 of the jaw 8. In this norprice cards tomerchandise. It will also be apparent that the clip may be made invarious sizes, depending upon the size of the element or part 21 to beengaged thereby andthe size of the ta or cardto be sup orted thereby;

Various other modifications and changes are likewise contemplated andmay be resorted to, without departing. from the spirit or scope of theinvention as'- hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as: my invention:

1. A spring clip of thecharacter described formed from a single strandof resilient wire having a wound portion defining atorsional coil andincluding a first loopanda second loop; said ooil being disposedbetweensai'd loops, said loops being formed by a longer end portion ofthestrand extending firomone end of the coil, s'ai'd first loopincluding relatively long legs, one of said legs having an inner endmerging integrally with one end of said coil said legs havingcomplementary undulated port ions spaced from the ends thereof defininga recess portion opening outwardly of one side of said first loop, theother end of the strand constituting asubstantially straight extensionof the other end of. said coil and eX- tending outwardly therefrombetween thelegs. of said first loop and through the recess portionthereof to beyond the outer closed end of the first loop, said straightextension and said first loop forming coacting clamping jaws springbiased in opposite directions toward one another by said torsional coil,said straight extension engaging the outer end of the first loop in theclosed position of the jaws to limit spring biased movement of the jawsin op- 4 posite directions said jaws being. displaceable away from oneanother for moving the straight extension to a position to open saidrecess portion whereby an article to be clamped is insertable thereinfrom between the outer ends of the jaws and whereby the jaws whenreleased will be spring biased for returning the straight extension to aposition for closing said recess portion and for clamping the articletherein, said second loop constituting an extension of the other leg ofthe first loop and having end portions thereof located adjacent the endsof the coil, one of said end portions constituting the terminal of thefirst mentioned end of the strand and being adapted to be passed throughan opening of an indicia bearing element for detachably mounting theindicia bearing element on said second loop.

2. A spring clip as in claim 1, said terminal end of the second loopbeing normally disposed in sufficiently close proximity to anend of thecoil to cooperate therewith to prevent casual disengagement of theindicia bearing element from said second loop.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 457,461 Francis Aug. ll, 1891 879,719 Arning Feb. 18, 1908 1,489,306 CasadyApr. 8, 19 24 1,681,464 Butner Aug. 21, 1928 l',703,9 01 Schultz Mar. 5,1929

